Chapter 15 Cade #2
Her closed-off demeanor is a stark contrast to the woman on the other side of me who’s crying to some random guy about how her dog died three years ago and that she hasn’t been the same since. I turn my head quickly to avoid eye contact.
“Thanks, I owe you one,” I say, getting up to leave.
She looks at me, confused. “You helped me first. Call it even.”
“Right. You gonna be good?” I say, gesturing to the door in reference to the creep they just threw out.
She takes another drink and scoffs. “Yeah, that’s my brother. Theo.” Her face stiffens. “And don’t ask, I’m not in a talking mood.”
“Wasn’t planning on it. You gonna make it home safe?”
“I’ll figure it out,” she says, waving me off.
“Thanks again.” I drop a fifty on the bar and turn to leave.
“Church” by Chase Atlantic comes through the speakers, and I hear yelling—and a group of women all but stampede to the dance floor. They bump into me, all three grabbing my hands and arms, pulling me with them.
“Come dance, handsome!” one yells over the music.
What the fuck is happening…
They begin dancing, grinding on me in all directions, spilling their drinks in the process, as I try to sneak my way out of their human barricade.
“Aww, you’re no fun!” I hear one of them yell from behind me.
I need to get the fuck out of here. This place is madness.
I quickly make my way through the crowd, abandoning Andrea at the bar, avoiding ramming into anyone else. I burst through the doors. Hands on my knees, I lean over, gulping in deep breaths.
Freedom.
The respite doesn’t last long. I hear the loud roar of multiple motorcycles pulling up. One by one, they pile into the parking lot in front of me, shouting obscenities. The man who got kicked out of the bar earlier, Theo, approaches them, yelling and pointing at me.
You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.
I stand up and stretch my neck to the side, preparing for what looks like a fight. Slowly, I walk down the steps, approaching the men as they hop off their bikes. Each one wears a vest similar to the one the drunk man was wearing in the bar.
A large bald man steps up to me. He starts to speak but I cut him off.
“Are we doing this one by one or all at once?” I ask confidently, cracking my knuckles.
“The young lady you were with inside—do you know where she is?” he asks, his voice deep and raspy.
“Leave her alone. She made it very clear she has no interest in leaving with her brother.”
“I think there has been a misunderstanding here.” He puts his hands out.
“I’m Mack. Theo came to pick her up after she ran off from our clubhouse.
She isn’t all there mentally and hasn’t been taking her meds.
He’s a bit drunk from the party, so maybe he wasn’t able to get his point across. We’re just worried about her.”
Bullshit.
“So why would she beg a stranger to protect her?”
“Look, son, she moved here because her mother couldn’t handle her episodes. Her brother took her in. I imagine she would say just about anything to avoid coming home. Would you go inside and get her for us? We would prefer not to cause an issue.”
Well, fuck.
I make my way back into the chaos and search for the tiny brunette. It doesn’t take me long to see her standing in the corner of the room, a cup of water in hand, shrinking into herself like she doesn’t want to be here. She looks me up and down as I approach her.
“We need to get you out of here,” I start. “Is there a back entrance to this place?”
She sighs, setting her drink on the stage.
“In the back, behind the bar.” She points to the back of the wall, past a large group of people.
“All right, let’s go.”
“I’m sorry, who the hell are you to tell me what to do? This isn’t your problem. I’m a grown-ass woman, and I’ll figure this the fuck out on my own.”
I can’t help but laugh.
“Is that funny?”
“No, you just remind me of my sister. Now let’s go. You can be stubborn when there isn’t a group of men outside trying to take you.”
She looks behind me at the door.
“Wait, what? They’re here?”
“Yes.” I grip her arm, not hard, but enough to urge her on. Her eyes widen at the contact.
“Okay, yeah, let’s go! You have no idea what those men are capable of. If Theo called them, it’s not gonna be good for you,” she says, yanking her arm from my grip.
I trail behind her as she makes her way to an employee exit. She pushes the door open with force, and we are met with two men in similar vests as her brother. She stops dead in her tracks. One of them calls out, “Yo, Theo! We found her!”
No sooner does the call go out than her brother comes around the corner with rage in his eyes.
“I come to apologize, and you get some asshole to try and start a fight? The fuck is wrong with you?” he says quickly, the words almost blending together with his slurred speech.
“Get on the bike, now,” one of the men commands.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I don’t give a fuck what the issue is here,” I say loud enough for them to hear, fixing my eyes on the girl. “Do you want to leave with them?”
“No,” she answers quietly.
“Good. Now that we’ve cleared that up, let her fucking leave.”
“This is none of your business, dick,” he says, grabbing the girl’s arm and jerking her away.
“You just made it my business.”
The bald one charges first. I sidestep clean, twist, and crack a fist across his jaw—hard enough to spin him. No hesitation. I’m already moving.
Theo barely gets his hands up before I drive a punch straight into his nose. Cartilage crunches. He hits the ground like dead weight.
The girl flinches, staggering back.
Two more come in fast. One throws a low kick that slams into my knee. A solid hit, but I drop back, pivot low, and sweep his legs. He hits the concrete hard.
The second’s already mid-swing. I don’t bother blocking. I slam my fist up between his legs. He folds forward, choking on his breath. I rise slowly, brushing the dirt from my jeans. They’re still groaning on the ground when I turn and walk away.
I glance at the girl. She’s frozen, wide-eyed. I jerk my chin toward the truck out back, pulling the keys from my pocket.
She hesitates.
“Get in the truck, Andrea.” She does, and I sweep in beside her.
“What direction are we going?” I ask flatly.
“If you’re willing… you can take me to my coworker’s house. She lives about fifteen minutes from here, you’re already going the right way.”
“All right. Just put the address in,” I say, handing her my phone.
“Why did you do that for me?” she asks, returning the phone.
“Someone had to. Your brother is an asshole.”
Then I see it.
Rusted red Chevy. Bingo.
I need to make this quick.